How to Recycle Old CD's

CDs wear out with time but you don't have to just toss them away when you're through with them. There are a great many things you can do with used CD's to repurpose them into arts and crafts projects and even home decor.

Instructions

1. Make a clever clock. The CD already has a perfect center hole for the clock works, so take advantage of it. Glue themed items around the CD with superglue or glass glue for the numbers on the shiny side of the CD.You can use beads or buttons. marbles, glass rocks in different colors and sizes, tiny stick-on numbers or other little items. Look for small things in the scrapbook and craft departments.

2. Atttach the CD's shiny side out to thin stakes and use them as reflectors along the driveway. These are also great in any dark pathway or even on a road curve on a private road.They're easy to make and waterproof and they'll stand for many years. Use super glue to make the CD stick well.

3. Glue CDs to higher stakes and use them as reflectors in your garden. These will scare away unwanted birds and deer from feeding on your crops. You can put some low ones also to help to ward off ground pests like rabbits as well.

4. Paint the CDs. Use them as small canvases. Oil paint works great on the CDs and you can paint scenes on them much like people do on saw blades (which are also round and have a hole in them). Try some hi-tech scenes or cartoon scenes to decorate a child or teen's room.

5. Use the CDs as a cool wallpaper border or in place of molding around your room or one or two walls of a room. You can paint them or leave them as is or use the side with the color on it. Glue these on with wood glue (don't use super glue because you'll never get them off). Your computer geek would love this around a computer desk.

6. Break up the CDs into small pieces. Use a hammer and put the CDs into something like a towel so that no fragments fly up and hit you. Glue the pieces to a piece of wood, inside a flat tray or even to an old table top. Put a little bit of grout (tile grout) between the tiles and let it dry for a very cool mosaic. You can use the shiny and colored sides or all shine. Of course you can make pictures for the walls with this and if you paint the CDs, you could have a mosaic picture of something in particular.

7. Glue the CDs together, overlapping them just a bit, and you can make a round picture frame or just some crazy artwork. You can also glue them around an existing picture or mirror, too. Try making a collage with the CDs by using clear fishing line and hanging them from twigs, a piece of wood or just about anything for a hi-tech mobile. Play with them and you'll come up with some ideas of your own (see Resources).

Tips & Warnings

• Mix these with old floppies for a different look for collages or artwork.

• Always use a towel or tote bag or something sturdy when breaking CDs. They make small sharp fragments that can go flying.

Resources

• Recycle household items, including CDs